A Hollow Named Ichigo
by moonlit reveries
Summary: [IchiXRuki] A hollow appears in Karakura town. Vicecaptain Rukia Kuchiki is ordered to take it down. To her suprise, it was a hollow that looked like Ichigo, rather Ichigo that looked like a hollow. Will she kill it? Or it kill her?
1. The Prologue

_**Title: **__A Hollow Named Ichigo  
__**Rating: **__T (Just to be safe)  
__**Genre: **__Romance/Angst (maybe)  
__**Characters: **__Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki  
__**Summary: **__Rukia Kuchiki was ordered to return to the human world to take down a hollow, but she did not expect that she would meet the person she dreaded and waited for to return to her life…_

_**Author's Notes: **__Salutations to everyone who has opened this fan fiction! This is my first multi-chaptered story of Bleach. This story was created to celebrate my favourite bleach couple, Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki. This is about six to seven chapters long. I hope you guys enjoy this. I apologize for any misspellings, typographical errors, grammatical errors, and the like. I am not very patient proofreading. I look forward to mina-san's reviews._

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Bleach! If I did then this story would not have been fan fiction._

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Rukia Kuchiki rarely felt that feeling; it was the same old brand new feeling. It was warm and comfortable yet it had that annoying and agitating stir. It brought her unexplainable happiness that accompanied an uncertain uneasiness. She really had no idea why she felt that way but she did not ask herself why. The train of thoughts flowed to her naturally. Though she become a bit taller and had grown her hair longer that it flowed down to her waist if she didn't braid it, she wore the same hamaka and kimono like that same fateful day. She even wore the same waraji and waraji-socks. Why did wore those? She had no idea.

She hovered over a familiar town she last visited more than a hundred years ago. The town was lit the same way it was back then, yet it had that different glow she could not quite describe. She paused at the same post that began rotting through time. She scanned the area like last time but more observant this time. She jumped to the same district of the town to find a hollow like she did the last time. However, she was meticulous in picking houses to walk through, but something inside her told her to pass by the home she went through a century back.

The room that was once filled with light and excitement had become empty and filled with despair. There was no more furniture or anything left in the room, or in the house for that matter. But still, she found herself observing the room with her sapphire eyes. She imagined the room in its earlier days: the bed, the desk, and a young boy walking around the room. The woman shook of her reminiscing and reminded her that she had to do her job as a _shinigami lieutenant_. She was sent there not to dilly-dally with her past but to exterminate hollows.

A ring from her cellphone broke into her thoughts. She took it from her pocket and checked the message. A hollow was detected fifty meters at eleven 'o clock from her position. She clasped her sword as she jumped out of the window. She noted to herself how much she missed on doing that. She landed in front of the hollow and prepared to attack.

Much like any hollow, it wore a white and had a hole below its neck. However, this one wore a white hamaka over a white kimono. Its hands were clearly similar to that of a human. Its height was even like that of a human. Rukia remembered why she was sent in the human world. Many shinigamis had already been killed by this hollow. Her captain, Ukitake Jushiro, ordered her to investigate the hollow and punish it as well. Though she did not want to do such a thing, something inside her compelled her to take the job.

"_Dance_" She called out her zanpaktou. She surrounded the hollow with the sash from the hilt of her sword. "S_ome no mai, tsukishiro_" She shouted. She intended freeze everything within the circle from the ground upwards until it reaches the sky. Before she could do so the hollow had already escape the circle.

"_Shinigami,_" the hollow chuckled. "Those little tricks won't work on me."

For a second, Rukia thought the hollow was she had been someone thinking of a while ago. She mentally slapped herself and divised a plan to eliminate the hollow. She attack it head on with her blade. To her surprise, the hollow blocked her attck and sent her flying a few feet. She attacked again. She decided to slach it on its mask. She flashstepped. It was successful to damage the hollow, but it only managed to crack its white face covering.

Her jaw dropped as the mask crumbled. Her sight trailed down to the hollow's eyes and bodily structure and most importantly, its hair. She almost fell to her knees. The hollow was a man with well-defined features. His eyes were of deep amber that somehow sought hope but engulfed by darkness. And his hair, it was burning rays of sun in the afternoon. Yes, it was orange. Rukia Kuchiki was not mistaken. She was more than sure who this hollow once was

_It was none other he, Ichigo Kurosaki._

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_a/n: Was it boring, horrible, or worse than those? Please tell me! I appreciate review, comments, suggestions, and the like. Giving me an idea on how you liked the fic will motivate me to write better fan fictions! The next update will hopefully be on next week to next month. School's starting! 'Til then!!! _


	2. Waiting in Vain is Painful

_A/n: this is the first chapter of my bleach fic. I'm sorry if it took a while. I'm also sorry if it didn't pass your expectations. I rushed writing it. So, I only got to revise it two times. Hopefully, you enjoy this. Anyway, I apologize for any typographical errors, misspellings, grammatical errors, and the like. As I have told you I rushed to type this thing because I have a lot of academic requirements to finish. Anyway, enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Bleach! Don't sue me!_

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**__**Chapter One: Waiting in Vain is Painful**_

A million and one words ran through her head. She tried to mouth at least one of those many words but to no avail. It felt as if something was stuck in her throat. It kept her from saying something. She just decided to grab one of those random words in her mind. Her voice trembled at first but she managed to release the word. "Idiot." Her voice trembled. Her spine shivered; whether from her zanpaktou she did not know. What a word to say. She was bewildered. She had no idea how to react. She mentally shook herself to bring her back to reality. Really, agreeing to go on this mission was the worst idea she had for a hundred years. At least, she was alone. She did not want her subordinates to see their lieutenant looking stupid and defenceless at the sight of a familiar boy.

She reminded herself of her resolve. She took a deep breath and clenched her sword. She jogged her memory about an arrancar she fought about a century ago. The arrancar had the power to disguise itself as someone she admired dearly. If she had defeated an arrancar of such abilities, what a mere hollow that just looked like the young boy? But no, it was not the same. This hollow was definitely Ichigo. If she killed it, she would give it peace. She won't give it peace. She would merely pass judgement. After killing so many shinigamis, the chances of it being sent to hell would be large. She couldn't let that happen. She can't send him to hell, but she had to. She had no choice.

She pulled herself together. Who would give it a chance of peace, if not her? When will it be given peace, if not then? A captain would come sooner or later. She didn't want any captain seeing it like that. Furthermore if a captain was sent, then she would have already been dead. No, she didn't want to die. If she died, every thing Ichigo risked would be worthless. She would live for him just as she promised him, even if it means killing him. Yes, that is her resolve.

She grabbed her zanpaktou and aimed to hit the hollow's left shoulder. It was still busy recovering its shattered mask. She flash stepped into the one meter radius of the hollow and thrust her sword into its left chest. The penetration was only superficial. The hollow manage to cut short the sword's deepening. It pulled out the shinigami's katana and threw it along with the girl as far as it could. Rukia was again sent flying but she caught her fall. She attacked the hollow several times, however to no avail. She needed a better way to attack. She needed to kill it.

"_Shinigami_," the hollow snickered. "Is this the best you can do?"

"I haven't even strated yet." She smirked and stabbed her sword onto the ground.

"_Dance!"_ she commanded her zanpaktou. Ice crystals pierced out of the ground and trailed towards the hollow.

* * *

His name was _Nightbringer Malificent_. Weak attacks like that cannot hurt him. He evaded the piercing crystals with ease. This shinigami was of lieutenant level? She could barely scratch him. And she didn't even have the guts to thrust her swords harder to his chest. Killing this shinigami would be even far easier than the others. 

His mask has completely covered his face. Would he kill this soul reaper instantly with a single blow through her heart? It would be boring. He wanted to see the pathetic and desperate look in her eyes that even at the brink of her death; she would believe that he would not kill her. Yes, he would kill this shinigami slowly and painfully; dismembering limb after limb. He would love to hear the shinigami squeak out a desperate cry for help. Then, finally, he would crush her little build and watch as her life slowly suck out of her battered body. And the verge of her death, he would devour her soul. He would taste it carefully; her sadness, bitterness, and frustrations of her soul. Yes, it was his best plan yet.

He propelled himself away from the ice crystals. He glided through the air towards the shinigami. Where would he aim? Where to aim? Would it be the head? The blow would be fatal. He didn't want to kill her yet. The limbs? No, it would be boring if he made his prey immediately defenceless. He didn't want to waste the fierceness of the woman. The shoulder blades would be the perfect target. When to hit? When to hit? When she is on her defensive position or when her guard is down? He decided to attack her while defensing herself. It would definitely ruin her resolve.

He evaded the ice crystals that formed in front of him. He dodged each and every ice crystal that flew towards him. The girl took her sword and again pointed it towards the hollow. Her eyes told her that she was confident in blocking whatever attack the hollow would throw at her. The hollow was pleased with the shinigami. This one would indeed be interesting to kill. It was though the woman was filled with curage and determination and yet there was an unmistakable but discrete sign of half-heartedness in the woman. It was as if the woman hid some sort of unexplainable emotion for the hollow.

Whatever it was, it was none of his concern. He was a powerful hollow that could rival that of any arrancar. He need not care about insect like this woman. He was a hollow. He sought more power. He was not the type that would waste his time figuring out why the shingami held back some of her powers.

He materialize a claw-like weapon in his hands. With speed and strength, far greater than the goddess of flash and the 11th division captain respectively, he broke through the shinigami's defence and sliced through her shoulder blades like knife though a stick of butter. The hollow paused and waited for the arteries to burst. He smiled at the first drop of blood and the scent of it. He then brought himself a few meters in front of the woman. He watched her shocked sapphire eyes unable to comprehend how he broke her defence. Then, she fell to her knees.

Unable to support her own back, Rukia Kuchiki, carried her half dead body to wall and leaned on it. Coincidence or not, it was the spot she rested on when she first met _him. _She sat there with her vision getting blurry. It was much like last time except that there was no boy to bestow shinigami powers to. There was only a hollow that threatened to kill her. And what's worse is that the boy that should receive her powers was the hollow that would take her life.

A ringing sound echoed. It was her Chappy keychain that hung from her zanpaktou. She smiled sadly at it. It was the only gift given to her by _him_. It was the first and only time he said those words to her. She couldn't forget that. She watched the keychain would accordingly with the night breeze. She reminisced that moment.

* * *

"Here," he said in his ever so exciting tone. "Catch." 

Rukia raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what Ichigo threw at her. Whatever it was, it looked really cute with its small soft squishy body, the warm life-like white fur, its fluffy bunny-like ears, pink velveteen nose, and its small black synthetic eyes. It was adorable. She blinked at it a few times.

"What?" Ichigo frowned. "Don't you love it? I'll return it, if you don't."

"No!" Rukia tucked the bunny under her neck. "I love it. What does it do?"

"It's a keychain, dimwit." He replied.

"_Keychain?"_ Rukia repeated what Ichigo just said. She dangled the metal ring hanging from the bunny. She shook it a little. Upon hearing a ringing sound, she jerked. "Ichigo, it made a sound! Is that why it's a keychain, it's because it sounds like a bunch of keys."

"No, genius." Ichigo rolled his eyes and took something from his pocket. He showed her a set of keys bundled together with an unknown emblem. "This is what a keychain does." He pointed at the keys with his free hand. He slumped in his bed as Rukia absorbed the information.

"But I don't have keys." She finally said. "We don't keep keys in soul society. Can I attach _Chappy-chan_ to something else?" Ichigo was about to comment on something Rukia was about to say. He won't destroy the mood. He timed to give the keychain at a moment when she was less of an annoying girl. He sat up his bed and scratched his head.

"Got your _zanpaktou_?" He asked. "Attach it to that."

"I would." She smiled while still staring at the keychain.

Ichigo stood up. "So, do love it?" he asked as he exited his room.

"A lot." Was Rukia managed to say. She continued to look at it like she was a chilf of four receiving a new gift. She did not quite pay attention to Ichigo's mumbles.

"It's the first gift I've given to the idiot I love." Ichigo shut the door and went down the stairs to have his dinner.

* * *

The shinigami sat the same spot beside the same pole; the hollow had no idea what he meant by that. He stood watching the woman hold on to her life as he tried to get out of his system an unidentified feeling that forced him to feel something strange about the woman; a feeling compelling him to save her from something. Whatever it was he did not know. He walked slowly and distracted himself by thinking of ways to torture her. He finally brought himself in front of the woman. He looked her. She looked at him wearily. At an instant, images ran through his head like a fast forward vintage movie. He fell to his knees and screamed hysterically. 

"_I'm not shinigami."_ The movie played in his head. "_I'm Rukia Kuchiki_."

* * *

An orange haired boy stood in front of the soul reaper. She offered her sword to be pierced through his heart. The boy would become a shinigami. He pushed the blade and light shone. He wasn't just any young teenager now. He was already a shinigami substitute. His zanpaktou was as tall as him. He killed hollows for the girl, whoever the girl was to him. But he smiled for her; she made him happy. She smiled for him and she was happy. Who was this shinigami? 

_If you follow me, I swear I will not forgive you._

What did the boy do? Why was the shinigami crying? Who was this young boy? Why was she crying? Why was that girl leaving? Where is she going? Why isn't that boy doing anything? The boy had to stand up! He had to follow her. He had to rescue the girl. Get up boy! Get up! Why was it raining that night? Why? Why? Why does it hurt so badly? He was already a hollow. He cannot care about anything but power and bloodlust. Why would he be affect by some boy and woman he did not know? Why? Why? Why?

_Ichigo, you are indeed an idiot._

Ichigo? Is that the name of the boy? Who was this Ichigo? This woman seems happy yet sad. Why? Why is Nightbringer seeing these things? What relationship does he have with this Rukia and Ichigo? Is he Ichigo? No, it was impossible. Why does he even care bout these things. He needed to get this out of his system. Was this an illusion to lose his mind? He had to get over it.

* * *

The hollow punched himself on the face so hard that it bled. He got back to reality. He looked at the woman leaning on the post. She was the same as the one in his dreams. He decided to just kill the woman. He told himself that it was a bad idea to torture this woman. He should kill her immediately. Who knows what other things he might he see. He extended his claw-like arms as he prepared to slash her through and through. But just as he predicted, he couldn't. More images flashed through his mind. He screamed more. His mask was shattering but he did not know why. A voice broke in his head screaming to get out. He forced it back but to no avail. He couldn't stop it. His vision went black. 

_Rukia, where are you going again?_

She was walking away from him, the boy, Nightbringer; both of them. She was walking away from them. The boy ran to catch up with her. He couldn't. She vanished into thin air. He kept on running; they kept on running. Nightbringer couldn't understand why he followed the boy. Why did he follow the boy to look for her? It did not make sense. Why are they feeling heavy? Why is not the girl coming back? Why are they not looking for her? Why does he give a damn about them?

He waited; they, the boy and the hollow, waited, however in vain. But they waited for an unknown reason. The boy was dying. The hollow was beginning to feel. They still waited; still in vain. But they waited, but she never came back, not once, never in the boy's lifetime.

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_A/n: How was it? Was it deathly terrible? Hell boring or worse? Please tell me. Hopefully, I will update by the next month or next two weeks. Depends. PLEASE REVIEW! I want to know how bad I fair with your standards! Till then! _

_1) Nightbringer Malificent- I thought of giving Ichigo a hollow name._

_2) Dance- Rukia has new attacks! She will be tested for bankai. Hopefully in the next chappie_

_3) fluff inserted- too short for a one-shot_

_toodles!_


	3. Vows are made to be broken

_a/n: Hello people! I'm back after ten long years! Thank you very much for the reviews! I appreciate it a lot. It inspired me to write. Anyway, this is the second chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as the first two. I apologize for the many typographical errors and grammatical errors. I'm not patient proofreading. (If you see an error, do not hesitate to tell me. Thanks.) Anyway, without further ado, I give you chapter 2._

_**Disclaimer: **__(almost forgot.) Don't sue me! I don't own Bleach_

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**__**Chapter Two: Vows are Made to be Broken**_

Whether or not hollows had feelings, Rukia Kuchiki was unsure. Never in her afterlife had she seen a hollow scream of deep seated pain rather than the usual cries of greed and lust for power. It was as if the hollow was controlling an unexplainable feeling brewing within it. Its screaming echoed sadness that gave Rukia goose bumps. Was it possible that her predicament had a connection with the hollow's actions? Was it even conceivable that the hollow was holding back memories of Ichigo? There was a chance but it was slim. Fate would be too kind to Rukia if that occurred. It was out of the question. Whatever that caused the hollow to act that way had nothing to do with her, Rukia thought so.

It wasn't the time to think of such things. Her breaths were already shallow. Her vision was getting blurry. She needed to knock the hollow dead. She focused her remaining energy to re-establish her resolve and devise a way to finish the hollow. She recalled all her kidou spells and zanpaktou attacks that would accommodate her diminishing reiatsu. She needed to think fast. She needed to knock the hollow out before it comes back to its senses. She had to come up with a plan to kill the hollow; rather she had to find a way to survive.

The desperate shinigami recalled that lieutenants' and captains' reiatsus were suppose to be sealed when they go to the human world. She glanced at her chest to check the seal. However, she remembered that her powers were never sealed in the first place in order for her to finish the job immediately. She decided that she would just attack it with everything she had. She regained her composure and arranged in her mind the attacks she would make. Hopefully, back-up would arrive in time.

Just as Rukia was about to stand, a beautiful young girl appeared. The girl had long straight black hair up to her waist. Her moist serene eyes were of deep blue similar to the water in the ocean. She had gentle features. Her face reflected innocence but radiated a discrete feel of sorrow. She wore a kimono of purest snow tied with a sakura-tinted obi. She smiled sadly at Rukia.

"_It's sad to be a  
__Samurai without a sword  
__Crane without a dance."_

The Kuchiki looked away from the girl. The child was indeed right. Rukia pushed herself to stand. She managed to balance herself. She felt weak. She felt useless. She felt sorry for herself. Her zanpaktou was right. She lost the essence of her being. The life of her spirit has wavered exponentially. She was no longer the Rukia she once was. Her confidence was gone. She was pathetic.

She searched for something to say to excuse her unenthusiastic resolve. The girl just gave a puzzling look implying that she knew Rukia was lying. "_Sode no Shirayuki_" Rukia finally sighed. "I'm so sorry; I really am." Rukia had no idea what to do. She was confused. She fell back on her knees and wept.

"_What happened, Rukia-chan?  
__You've become a lioness  
__Who lost will to hunt._

_Your desire for strength  
__Once hot and bright as the sun  
__Became candlelight._

_Your passion to fight  
__Disappeared with the young boy  
__Without a single trace."_

"But you don't understand!" Rukia said defensively. "I would be weaker if I depended on him." Her brother told her that; even the other captains. Rukia was indeed depended on Ichigo that she barely fought whenever he is around. Furthermore, she was reminded that the boy was only human. He should never have been given shinigami powers in the first place. The order was clear. All connection Ichigo Kurosaki had with soul society had to be cut. Rukia couldn't do anything about it.

"_Yuki-chan is strong  
__When the sun shines radiantly  
__Inside Rukia-chan's heart._

_Ah! Kaien-dono  
__Kurosaki Ichigo  
__They were strong, weren't they?_

_You looked up to them  
__Rukia-chan wanted to be strong  
__Yuki-chan was glad"_

"I did not become strong." Rukia replied. "I was weaker. Oni-sama said so." Sode no Shirayuki examined her look. Her zanpaktou's eyes told her that there was something amiss with what she said. Rukia's jaw dropped realizing what her zapaktou meant. "But I can't disobey my brother, you know I can't. I know he hated Ichigo. He didn't want me near that boy. He did not want me to have anything to do with the boy."

"_Byakuya said so?  
__Has he done a thing 'bout it?  
__It makes you think, ne?"_

Was Sode no Shirayuki implying that Byakuya wanted Rukia to be with Ichigo? True, _Byakuya-nii-sama_ said that he would not stop her if she went after the boy. But, didn't her brother tell her of the consequences? Didn't he say that her future would be uncertain if she followed the boy? Her brother wanted her to follow the boy. Why didn't he just say it straight to her face? It was useless now. The boy was long gone. She cannot undo what she did. She had to face the fact that she was stupid not see it.

"_Rukia-chan, I what happened?  
__I was hurt and I was sad  
__Yuki-chan wants to cry._

_Can Rukia-chan be strong?  
__How can Rukia-chan be happy?  
__What can bring you joy?"_

* * *

"You know I can't leave you there to die doofuse." Ichigo Kurosaki snorted his answer. "Byakuya would kill me if I left you to die in the middle of nowhere in Hueco Mundo. Besides-" He stopped himself from speaking his mind. He just kept quiet and waited for Rukia Kuchiki to heal herself. It wasn't the time for his feelings to get in the way of his first ever official mission as a shinigami substitute. He should focus on the mission and not finding a way to reveal how much he cared for the raven-haired shinigami. He should not worry about those mushy things. He dismissed the thoughts.

As soon as the Kuchiki finished recovering, Ichigo carried her on his back and made their way to Aizen Sousuke, leader of the arrancar. The mission sounded simple: Bring back the Orb of Destruction and eliminate the former fifth squad captain and his followers. However, he had to sneak into Las Noches guarded by arrancar which aren't that easy to get rid of. He must get into the main chamber and most probably fight the captain. Ichigo must either kill him or at least take back the Hōgyoku. He must accomplish that. The success of his mission depends on it. If he fails, all of Soul Society will be lost.

If he completes his task, the Thirteen Court Squads might reconsider his being part of them. He would then be a full-pledge shinigami and officially watch over Karakura town. He need not wait for his death to do so. And also, he could see Rukia— and the others more often. Too bad the mission wasn't as easy as it sounded.

The young Kurosaki hovered over the sandy dunes of the barren world. He felt a chill as he looked around the desert. He never imagined that Hueco Mundo could look worse. Fear and despair replaced the emptiness of that world. Broken Swords and shattered masks scattered around the forsaken land ironically like dandelions on an open field. Blood reeked from the corpses and would be corpses on the battleground. The zanpaktous of the shinigamis clashed with the hollows' armors. They faced each other without fear though they know what awaits them. Yes, war really gives that traumatic feeling of uneasiness. As much as death was inevitable, war was the same.

Ichigo and Rukia made their way inside Aizen's fortress. They were careful not to catch the attention of the arrancars walking around the place. Finally reaching the entrance to Aizen's lair, the scouting arrancars spotted the two shinigami intruders.

"Rukia," Ichigo said as he pulled out his zanpaktou. "Promise me one thing."

"What's that?" Rukia smirked as she took out her sword as well.

"You will not die." The Kurosaki replied in a deep and serious voice. "Promise me you'll live, even at the expense of my life."

* * *

What could possibly make her happy? What compelled her to smile at anyone every single day, when in truth there was nothing for her worth smiling about? What drove her to endure each agonizing day without hope of a better tomorrow? What was her inspiration to keep on living; what was her raison de etre? Was it her brother's persuasions? Was it her sister's dying wish? Was it even Kaien-dono's memory? No matter how many times she tried to convince herself that one of those is her reason for existence, she knew at the back of her head that they weren't quite it.

Rukia Kuchiki stood up and re-established her resolve for the nth time. She used most of her remaining reiatsu to heal all her fatal injuries. She took deep breaths and devised an attack strategy to knock out the hollow and send it to the otherworld. She closed her eyes and imagined herself forming a circle of ice and freezing the hollow. She heard cries from the said hollow. "I am Nightbringer Malificent and nobody else," It yelled. She opened her eyes. She looked at her zanpaktou.

"I will redeem myself." The Kuchiki said. "I will finish the job that I was sent to do."

"_To redeem yourself  
__Will you be truly happy?  
__Or others happy?_

_Happiness you know  
__Is not happiness you need.  
__What is your true joy?_

_But Yuki-chan knows  
__She can tell Rukia-chan that  
_'_tis deep in the heart."_

"What do you mean?" was all that Rukia could say. What happiness could her zanpaktou be talking about? She could think of anything; just anything that Sode no Shirayuki meant. She looked again at her zanpaktou's moist eyes and searched for something that should reflect her soul. The answer hit her again like a freezing snowball. She remembered the words; haunting words spoken by _him_: 'Promise that you will live, even at the expense of my life.'

_Rukia Kuchiki could not believe what zapaktou was implying._

"We can never be happy with something that was wrong," Rukia said to her zanpaktou. "You know that Sode no Shirayuki." She looked away from the young girl. However, the zanpaktou took the shinigami's chin and forced to look at her. She made a sad smile with her moist eyes. She guided Rukia to stand and as she said these words:

"_But what if somewhere  
__Along the way what was wrong  
__Had made us happy, then…"_

Finally, Rukia smiled; a true smile from deep within her heart. She understood what her zanpaktou meant. All this time she had been pretending to herself. In the end, she never got over her loss of Ichigo. In the end, she needed him. She took and deep breath and looked directly at the young girl beside her. She continued her zanpaktou's sentence "_then it must have been right all along..._"

_

* * *

_

_It was indeed painful to wait in vain._

Ichigo Kurosaki spent his last moments on earth lying wearily on his deathbed not eager nor dreading his passing away. His breath was deep and slow. His eyes were getting heavy. Yet, he told himself he could wait a little longer. He knew she would not come back but he believed to the last moment she should. With all his remaining energy, he forced himself to smile and thank everyone who tried to cheer him up. He gave and finally closed his eyes and smiled.

_Yes, he would see her soon._

As the chain of his soul broke, he came rushing towards the nearest open area and looked for a shinigami. He found himself waiting on the playground in a park. However, to his dismay not came. He waited a little more. Minutes became hours and hours and became days. And days turned into weeks and then into months. No shinigami came; none ever did. He did not know why. He did not care why. He just wanted them to arrive. However finally, he lost all hope.

Ichigo Kurosaki's life chain finally eroded away. All that was left of him was his suffering. And slowly, remorse enveloped his heart. Though lost love was still love, it took a different form. Loneliness and hatred became his partner. He nurtured it. He held it. He danced with it and fought using it. Eventually, he was devoured by it. Loneliness and hatred became known Nightbringer Malificent.

* * *

"_Rukia-chan_," the young girl said taking a step closer to Rukia. She unsheathed the katana and offered the hilt of the sword to Rukia. 

"_I offer to you  
__Strength, courage, and great power  
__All of Yuki-chan's_

_To achieve bankai  
__All I ask from my Rukia-chan  
__Defeat him, you must._"

_

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_

_a/n: That was the second chapter. Finally, I finished it. It's not that good for my taste. Please tell me how I can improve on this fic. I really need your reviews. I want the next chapter to be better. So please please review! _

_Question. Should I keep Sode no Shirayuki speaking in Haiku verses or should I just make her speak in regular language? Please tell I would really appreciate it. Please review!_

Love Lots,  
Moon-chan


	4. Love is Like Candlelight

_a/n: Hello mina-san! It's our sembreak so I got to update immediately! This chapter was longer than what I expected it to be. It took me a while to patch this up and I revised it many times. Hopefully, it will pass your expectations. Also, I am confident to say that there are no typographical errors and grammar lapses here. I checked it many times._

_Thank you also for the many comprehensive reviews! I am truly humbled. You don't know much I appreciated that! Without further ado, I give you chapter three! _

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own, in any way, Bleach or its characters. They belong to Tite Kubo-sama._

_**

* * *

Chapter Three: **__**Love is Like Candlelight**_

"Not Granted?" Rukia Kuchiki protested. "What do you mean not granted?"

"Ichigo Kurosaki was not given a place in the thirteen squads nor was he given permission to interact with soul society." The young captain of the tenth squad explained. "The decision was not unanimous nor was it a majority vote. The Commander-General vetoed the petition. It was agreed upon that the power of the boy should be sealed and that all connections regarding him should be broken. However, Ichigo's request to keep his memories of the war was granted. Furthermore, he will be immediately admitted to the thirteen court squads as soon as he passes away. I'm sorry. Ukitake-_taicho_ and I did everything that we could."

"So, Hitsugiya-_taicho_," his vice-captain asked. "Who voted for Ichigo's being part?"

"Aside from me and Ukitake-_taicho_," he continued. "Zaraki Kempachi, Shunsui Kyōraku, and Byakuya Kuchiki. Howev-"

He was interrupted by the vice captain of the six squad. "Kuchiki-_taicho_ voted for Ichigo's stay?" The other vice-captains were as surprised as Renji Abarai. It was unlike the six squad captain to be on the shinigami substitute's side. They always believed that the Kuchiki noble did not really like that boy because of some rumors involving his sister and the said substitute. It was really quite a surprising turn of events.

"It was expected." Hitsugiya said. "Ukitake-_taicho_ knew that Kuchiki-_taicho_ would be on our side. However, the decision of the fourth squad captain was the one unexpected. We thought that she would agree that the boy would stay. But according to her, the boy was still very young. Exposing Ichigo to harsh situations would ruin his development as a boy. The bloodsheds he had seen will have a traumatic effect on his life. The seventh and second squad captains were not really the biggest fans of the boy. The freaky twelfth squad captain said that the boy brought nothing but trouble to soul society. He said that Kurosaki, at all costs, should not be brought here."

"What about the Commander-General?" the red haired vice-captain asked. "Didn't he say he was truly indebted to Ichigo for what all he had done for soul society?"

"True, he was indebted." The captain explained. "Apparently, he was not that grateful to the boy as we thought. He kept on saying that keeping a direct connection with the boy would bring about complications between the humans and the shinigamis. He also said that it will be better for the boy to follow a normal course of life rather than live a dual life. The boy should just come here in his own good time. It would be, according to Commander-General, be best not only for soul society but for the boy as well. However, what the 'complications' were Yamamoto_-taicho_ did not say."

"We should make an appeal for reconsideration." Another of the vice-captains said.

"I am afraid there is nothing more we can do." The captain of the thirteenth squad appeared. "We did everything we could and their decision is final. The only way for Ichigo to be part of the thirteen squads is to wait for his death. It will only take fifty to sixty years. I am sure Ichigo can wait. I hope that no one will make a big issue out of this. Understand? What was done is done. We are given three months cut all connections with him."

"Demo." Abarai protested. He seemed to air out the thoughts of the vice-captain of the thirteenth squad, Rukia.

"Enough, Vice-captain Abarai." Byakuya Kuchiki walked in also. "I do not want anyone to make anymore reactions or comments about this. The decision was made. Ichigo Kurosaki would remain in the human world and his powers will be sealed. The only thing can that be done is to report to him the decision of the meeting. Rukia," the captain eyed at his sister. "You are the one designated to deliver the message." The captain looked at everyone in the room making sure they heard him. "Did I make myself clear?"

The entire congregation bowed and left the room.

_

* * *

Fight fire with fire._

If the strength of the hollow was fuelled by hatred, the Rukia would also fight the hollow with very hatred she could find in her cheerless heart. She recalled her painful waiting for Ichigo. She would use Ichigo's broken promise of not going to Soul Society. She would use all the tears she shed for the boy as a shield from the hollows attacks. She would gather all her ragged hopes of being with him and use is a katana to pierce its soul. She would turn all her remaining love for him into hate and bring him down.

She unsheathed her sword and flashstepped towards the hollow. She pierced the blade of her sword into the hollow's chest. She twisted it and called out an attack. "_Ice beam!_" she shouted. However, the hollow forced the sword out of its chest and the weapon went flying at least a hundred yards away. The hollow then shot random blasts of ceros and hit Rukia on the shoulder blades.

"Why are you doing this to me?" It yelled out this time. "Why are you screaming inside my head? Get out! Get out! I am Nightbringer Malificent! Do you hear me, boy? I am Nightbringer Malificent and no one else."

Rukia retrieved her katana and counterattacked. She used multiple kidou spells, however to no avail. The hollow continued with its screaming unaware of the vice-captain's presence. She knew there was something wrong with her way of attacking, but she could not pinpoint what it was. Was it the pronunciation of the kidou spells? Was it the slight hesitation in her cuts? Was it the quick beating of her heart? Could it be her resolve? Whatever it was affected her a lot. She needed to find out quickly what it was.

Her zanpaktou watched from a far and whispered to Rukia an advice.

"_Evaluate yourself  
__Rukia-chan's heart has to be pure  
__Hatred has no place_

_For he need not hate  
__Hueco Mundo gave him that  
__He suffered too long_

'_Tis it that he needs  
__It's that he truly longs for  
__Only thee can give"_

Rukia thought for a moment. What could she have that only she can give to Ichigo? What was it that Ichigo truly needs? If only she knew what it was she could easily defeat it. What else could she do? After all that she had done to him, what could she give Ichigo? She was already trying to fulfill her promise to him. What more could she offer? What more could she do? She needed to figure it out. She focused her thoughts to the last day she saw Ichigo Kurosaki alive.

_

* * *

_

_Everyday, she practiced saying goodbye._ Yet, when the moment came, she just could not; she did not have the courage to say goodbye. Her words of honesty never came out; not a simple bow or a wave. She never explained what, why, or, when. She just smiled at him and teased him. She cried only behind his back. She never said the words. She just left without a single word; not even a 'take care'. She just vanished into thin air. She was scared. She just could not break his heart.

"They did not grant you, Ichigo." She said. "I'm sorry to bring the bad news."

"I was expecting it. At least you told me." Ichigo smiled sadly. "Hey Rukia," he said in a much more cheerful tone. "When I die, I'll be a shinigami and nag your butt everyday. You'll wait for me, right? And maybe, when that time comes, we'll annoy Renji until his hair turns white. Or maybe we'll drive Toshiro mad. Okay? I know I do not have the patience to do that. But I have no choice but to wait. You'll wait, ne?" Rukia nodded. She smiled. Yes, she _just_ smiled and nodded.

And definitely, she would wait.

"So," Ichigo said as Rukia stood up. "When will you return so that my old man will know how much food he'll buy and what kind of food he'll buy?" Rukia was not answering. "Earth to stupid." He heard no reply. The young Kurosaki tried to call Rukia's attention. He repeated his insult thrice. "Are you there? You've been spacing out the entire day. Are you sure you're not sick? Byakuya will kill if got some disease or something. Rukia?" Ichigo Kurosaki looked around only to find that Rukia was gone. He ran around the entire town looking for her, but he never found her. Though he could not accept it at first, he knew what Rukia had done. She left him again.

* * *

If there was one thing Rukia Kuchiki was well known for, it was her patience. And she could never have shown it best as she waited for some human boy. To many shinigamis, the existence of such boy was mere telltale and became a gag as to why the vice captain was very serious. The reality of Ichigo Kurosaki became a mere legend of a hero in some epic. The heroic deeds of the boy had become only contents of children's stories. Nobody believed his existence. 

However to Rukia, his existence was as real as her promise to him. She continued to wait for him. And when she found out that the boy passed away, she slightly regained her joyous composure. She tried to convince her captain to send her to the human world. To her dismay, Ukitake told her to wait and that a shinigami would definitely go to the human world and guide Ichigo's soul to Soul Society. Little did he know that nobody was assigned to the job. No soul reaper came down to Karakura town to fetch the boy. Whether a mere coincidence or foul play, nobody knew.

It was nobody's fault, after all. There multiple cases similar to Kurosaki Ichigo's. It was one of the many carelessness of Soul Society. It was just a minor problem. No one should be blamed for this. However for Rukia, she had no one to blame but herself. If she just had the courage to defy her superiors; if she had the love strong enough to want to fetch him herself; if she, at the time, truly missed him, then she would have saved him. But she loved him, did she? Or did time erode her feelings for him. Love was, after all, like a candle, though bright and warm, it still melts away and disappears in the night. Her love for him was only like candlelight weak and wavering. She deserved him not. Her love for him cannot be compared to his love for her. She pitied him. She felt sorry that he had to go through all that.

* * *

"I'm sorry." Rukia whispered gently. 

"Sorry." The hollow echoed her whisper in screams. "She said sorry." To her surprise, the hollow was crying. It fell to its knees and tried to pull out its mask. Moaning alternated with snickering. It laughed as it cried. It was one of the scariest things Rukia had seen in her life. It gave her goosebumps. She shook her fear off. She prepared again for an all out attack. She believed that killing it would be her apology to the boy.

"You have no reason to be affected by some word." The hollow replied to someone inside its head or so Rukia thought it was. "Shut up, would you! If we get rid of this shinigami would be far stronger than before. You can't just back down now. You will not! I won't let you! What do you mean 'your reason'? Hell with your reasons! You said you wanted to become stronger. Now, you're backing out. We've been planning this for decades and you're telling to fall back and go home! Fat chance, kid! Have you forgotten what we've been through for the past seven decades?"

Rukia Kuchiki took advantage of the hollow's conversation with itself. She hurriedly ran towards it attempted to slash the hollow in half. It was not completely in vain because this time the vice-captain managed to cut of the upper left limb of the hollow. She still found herself flying back as the hollow dodged her other attacks. The hollow, still having slight control over his senses, scratched deeply Rukia's lower thighs with its claws. It immediately regenerated its lost limb and it shouted at her, "Woman, quit bugging me! Go home. Today's your lucky day."

"No," Rukia replied confidently. "I will finish this."

He would finish this. Nightbringer Malificent told himself that. He would not let some voice in his head and some random shinigami to get in the way of his plans. He would definitely become stronger so that he could, he could—why did he want to become stronger again?

* * *

"What would I gain if I help you evolve into a vasto lordes?" a hollow having a jackal's mask said not amused with another hollow's pleading for more power. "Everything comes with a price, boy. I won't go around Hueco Mundo expecting nothing to earn. Motivate me, boy. What are you willing to give in exchange for this power you seek? Entice me." 

"Anubus, I will worship you and call you 'king'." A lizard-like hollow said kneeling down. "My loyalty." The other hollow seemed unimpressed. It continued. "I am willing to give everything that I have; my power and my allegiance, and I will give you the remainder of soul."

"What could I want with your soul, boy?" Anubus seemed intrigued by the offer. "Your soul would taste no better than sand in the desert."

"I keep within me the soul of Ichigo Kurosaki. Perhaps you are familiar with the name."

"The arrancar war veteran?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. Are you sure about this?" the lizard-like hollow nodded. "If I do give you power you wanted, remember that most of the memories you keep will be lost forever. You will lose all reason, all sanity that you have left, and all your logic. You will become nothing more than a being of destruction. You will be no different from me nor from any other hollow. Your sole purpose will be to gain more power. Are you willing to accept that fate?"

"I don't care anymore. I have lost all hope a long time ago. And besides, isn't that what a hollow should do, to lust for more power?"

"It is a deal then." Anubus smirked. "From here on, you shall be right hand man. We will take over Hueco Mundo, the human world and Soul Society. I will teach you cruelty and hatred beyond what you have felt. If we are to accomplish that, you need to live by a new name, a name that will bring fear to the heart of many. You shall be called Nightbringer, Nightbringer Malificent. You will help me rule over Hueco Mundo."

Anubus did not really eat Nightbringer's soul. However, it was still devoured by the hatred of Nightbringer. Abhorrence and anger piled over his soul much like sand covering a seashell. He slowly forgot his previous life and became preoccupied with gaining power. He began doing what hollows do best. He ate souls of shinigamis and humans. He became more and powerful. He became a vasto lordes. And finally, Nightbringer's lust for power gave him an idea to over throw Anubus and become the new king. We would rule over the human world and, in the end, soul society.

_He could not let a mere vice-captain ruin his plan or was she just a mere vice-captain?_

* * *

"It's no use, _Sode no Shirayuki_." Rukia began to lose hope. "I can't kill him. I don't have that courage. And to think after all this time, I thought I became stronger. And I guess I really do deserve to die; in spite of everything, I tried to make myself believe, I never got over our departure. My feelings for him have not changed. I can't fulfill his promise. I don't just deserve to live; I need to die by his hands. That is only way I can atone for my sins. I'm so sorry, _Sode no Shirayuki_. I'm sorry that you had to believe in a weakling like me. I have realized that I have nothing worth giving him." 

"_But, Yuki-chan thought  
__Rukia-chan knows what she can give  
__Have you not told me?_

_You can defeat him  
__He has been waiting for you  
__A very long time_

_Give him that, tell him  
__It is but something only  
__Rukia-chan's heart can give_

_End not yourself, dear  
__It will make him only worse  
__Live as your promise_

_Tell him also that  
__The promise you gave to him  
__Rukia-chan has kept."_

The zanpaktou stepped away leaving only Rukia in the five meter radius of the hollow. She, finally knowing the proper resolve, unsheathed her katana and stared directly into the hollow's eyes and said, "I will finish this and I will live. Yes, just as Ichigo told me a long time ago: I will definitely live even at the expense of his life. I will definitely not fail him."

The hollow stood with out a movement for a moment. Rukia still kept her defensive stance as she waited for the hollow to attack. Then suddenly to her surprise, a familiar voice escaped behind the hollow's mask. The tone was unmistakable. Rukia knew who it was. She fell to her knees as the voiced echoed.

"_Rukia, it's me, Ichigo._"

_

* * *

a/n: That was the third chapter. Hope you enjoy it! Were there inaccuracies with respect to the original bleach story? Was it boring? Did it lack something? Were any of the characters OOC? was it good? Please review! It will really help me improve the fic. By the way, I'm glad that you guys liked my making Sode no Shirayuki speak in verse. Sorry Rukka, I kept it that way. Til next chapter!_

_Love Lots,_

_Moon-chan_

_P.S. I don't know how Hitsugiya-kun calls Ichigo,Ukitake-taicho, or Yamamoto-taicho.  
Please review! I would really appreciate it! It will help a lot in improving my fic! Please, please tell me what you think!_


	5. Love is Forgiving

_a/n: phew! I thought that I would never be able to finish this. This is the last chapter of my first ever bleach fic. Thank you for the reviews. I am truly humbled. I appreciate them from the bottom of my heart. Here it is, the final instalment. I apologize for the typographical errors, grammar lapses and the like. I rushed to post this. Enjoy!_

_Oh yeah,elfinpirate thanks for pointing out the error in the previous chapter. I fixed it now...Arigatou Gozaimasu! (Moon-chan bows deep.)_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Bleach. If I did, I already would have married Grimmjow…_

_**

* * *

Chapter Four: **__**Love is Forgiving**_

_Sorry._

For him, it was the sweetest thing he has heard for the past century. It was partly because someone would apologize to a creature like him. But mostly, it was because _she_ said that word; whoever she was and whatever that meant. It penetrated him like an arrow from a Quincy's bow. It cracked open his soul. It was a tub of ice cold water poured over him. It stimulated a part of him. It felt like warmth of the rising sun. It awakened an unexplainable feeling inside of him. It felt like he was alive again.

But, who was she? How could a mere woman touch him like that? How did that one simple word cause him to awaken? It was just a word and she was just a girl. In theory, it was impossible to be affected by anything thrown at him. He should have been immune to emotion. How can that mere five letter word ignite a part of him that had long been buried in the depths of his soul? How can some random and powerless woman spark a hidden part of him? Could he not have slaughter enough lives to make him indifferent to death? Have he killed all his mercy and pity? Could he not have hated enough?

Or could hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, be transformed into love?

Then again, after all, sorry was indeed a meaningful word. He could not just go about killing her without knowing why she said that. He did not care about his reasons for wanting to know. He just wanted to know. Why would a being as high as a lieutenant apologize to a lowly scum like him? It was unnatural. But, why would he care? He was a hollow. There was no reason for him to be affected by some word. The girl should just be a stepping stone for him to achieve his ultimate goal. Why was he compelled to know why she begged for his forgiveness? Was it for any particular significance?

He dug in his soul everything and anything he could find. His reasons, he looked for it. Why? Why did he want to become stronger in the first place? Why was so willing to trade his soul? Why couldn't he just slash her and be done with it? He itched to find out why. Why did he care? Why was she there? Why does he even bother asking these questions? Why? The answer must be there somewhere, right?

_He had no logical reason to be affected by some word._

But, he needed to know who she was. He needed to know why the rain was important in his delusions. He needed to know his reason for becoming stronger. He would do everything he had if he wanted to know the answers. Would he be willing to give everything gained to find out what she meant? Why was he so compelled to know those answers? Everything he had worked hard for will be gone. But, he needed to know. Why was she so important to him? He just had to know. After that, it wouldn't be too late to kill her and get back to his life. Would it still be a life worth getting back to? He would definitely know if he knew why the woman was asking for forgiveness.

"Rukia Kuchiki?" Voices clashed in his mind. "Was that the name of the woman? _Yes, she was the woman who broke your heart. _Was that the name of the soul reaper? _Yes, she brought about your predicament_. Was that the name of the girl who cried in the rain? _Yes, she couldn't apologize to you and she blamed it all on the rain._ Was she the one she risked my life for? _She wanted to runaway from you_. Was she the one that saved me from sadness? _Yes, she gave you hatred instead_. Was she the one who was apologizing to me? _Yes, because she did all that to you._

_She deserves nothing less than death. She caused our suffering. She was the source of all our agony. She was the very reason of our ill fate. And she now begged for you forgiveness. She doesn't deserve your mercy._ We would be weak if we don't forgive her. _What will we gain if you forgave her? You can't turn back time, kid. Nothing will happen if you forgave her. Furthermore, forgiving involves emotions. Emotions make us weak. You told me yourself. Having emotions is the same as being attached. Having attachments equates being weak. _But, the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. If we forgave this girl, we will be stronger.

_We would gain nothing if we forgave her? We do not need her. _But, we'll lose nothing if we forgave her. We would be able to lessen her burden. And besides, aren't you itching to know why she wanted to be forgiven? Why do we care so much about her? I want to know why. You want to know why. _We might just get hurt if you forgave her. She's just one of the many bumps on the road. Kill her and we'll overcome it. Forgive her and we're done for it. We do not need her. _Then, let's just back away._ Back-out? What do you mean? We're retreating? Never! _We need her. I think she is our reason. _Reason? Hell with your reasons! We will finish her off. We will not forgive her. Do you understand, boy?_

Maybe, she came here to help us. Maybe, our waiting was not in vain after all. It is possible. We'll maybe also know why we waited for her. _Maybe? You're willing to risk everything for just a 'maybe'? And besides, if she came here to help us, she's already seventy years to late. We do not need anybody's help. We were fine for the past decades. And she dare show up? Where was she when we needed help? _What if she had some problems? What if she was the one waiting for us in the first place? What if we should be the one asking for forgiveness? Don't you see? She is the girl we have long been waiting for to come, to deliver us from sadness. She is the one we cherished most.

_If she is the girl we speak of, then she was the one you waited for. Do you not see, boy? She made you like this. She turned you into a monster. _Why would I turn into a monster? She must mean really a lot to me if I turned into a hollow just by waiting her.You said it yourself. Our sadness brought about our predicament. None of this is her fault. _Why is she apologizing if it is not her fault? She made us like this! There can be no other reason. And besides, why; there is nothing to gain —_and nothing to lose— _if we forgave her. Why bother to do such a trivial task? Why do we want to forgive her so badly?_

Why; we are to be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness."

The voices died down. It was replaced by a single tone from a young boy. The white mask slowly cracked. And finally, the familiar face of a young boy appeared. He bore a familiar smile on his lips. His amber eyes sparkled in a similar way Rukia Kuchiki had been accustomed with. He looked at her. Seeing her again meant the world to him. He took one step forward. Rukia, unsure of what she was seeing, took a small step backward. She examined his eyes. She searched for the familiar look. She could not help but smile. She found what she was looking for. She ran towards him and shouted with joy, "_It is you!" _(a/n: Rukia OOC?)

"I'm sorry it was my entire fault!" The boy's words caught Rukia in midair before she landed in his arms. "I got you into this mess. You got hurt because of me. I promised myself that no one should get hurt because of me. And look at you! You're all hurt. Rukia," the tone of his voice changed. "Stab me now before that hollow show up again. Kill me now! Please, Rukia. I beg you. End this! Kill me and you'll gain bankai! You'll be stronger! Please kill me now before I lose of myself." He stood motionlessly looking into the lieutenant's eyes. "Please?"

"_Demo,_" Rukia's words shook. "You're all right now. You overcame your hollow. You're here. So, what if I don't gain bankai? You're back. That's what's important. Ichigo, you know I can't kill you; not like this; not now. Just when I thought everything will be fine—I will not kill you. I waited for so long. And now, I just kill literally with my bare hands? You're so stupid! You always were!"

"Stupid." The boy replied in a yell. "Look, who's talking? I fought the hollow to tell you this. I thought you can do it. Well, I thought wrong. I guess I was wrong about you, Rukia. I can't believe I wasted my energy trying to fight my way. I guess my reasons were wrong. I have else nothing else to do; nothing else to say. I—"

"Isn't sorry enough?" Rukia's eyes began to swell. "What else do you want me to say?"

"Sorry? You think 'sorry' is going make everything better? You think 'sorry' is going save your butt from the Nightbringer guy? You think 'sorry' is going to bring back everything that happened? Sorry? I have nothing to do with this 'sorry'. I can't save your butt with sorry or even any word. I want you to get that sword of yours and pierce it through my heart. You want something to do, idiot. Kill me. That is not a request."

"I know Hueco Mundo was hard on you. Don't blame yourself. If you've someone to blame, it is me."

"No, you don't know how hard Hueco Mundo was on me! You have no idea what I have been through. You never saw the cruelty there. You won't know. You'll never understand! This is hard for you, I can tell. This is harder for me. I will die, Rukia. I will go to hell. I won't be able to stop it. I am to meet you; the person waited for me entire life, so that I could be killed. You think that's easy? No, you've even seen the tip of the iceberg. I have lost everything I cherished. I don't have a soul anymore. I have given it all up."

"But, you know me; you remembered me."

"These are just memories to keep me fighting. I am no longer Ichigo. The Ichigo you seek no longer exists." The boy looked at the shinigami still weeping. "For the love of God, Rukia, do not prolong my agony anymore! Seeing like you this hurts me like hell. Rukia, just freakin' kill me! Please Rukia! Damn it! You told me you'd keep your promise! I counted on that! Rukia, please! Let's get this over with! Get that sword, stab in the heart. It's that simple. Rukia, I would give anything and everything I have for any possible way. But this is the only way! Let's get this over with so that you can move on with your life. As soon as you kill me, as soon as it will be over."

"I can't, stupid." she shouted back. "If I could, I should have done that a moment ago."

"Listen Rukia," he calmed down. "If you kill me, I will find a way to soul society and look for you. I swear on the grave of my mother, I will look for a path in soul society and I will tell it to your face that 'I told you so.' Just kill me, okay? The hollow is coming back. I can feel him. Don't worry your butt off, okay?"

Ichigo Kurosaki knelt down and closed his eyes. Rukia took out her sword and aimed directly at his heart with a distant from his chest barely a millimetre. She too closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and wiped all her tears. Her limbs became numb. She could not push her katana deeper. As she forced herself to move, the mask was beginning form in Ichigo's face. The boy tried to pull out the mask but to no avail. "Rukia," the boy began screaming. "What are you waiting for? Push the sword into my chest. Damn it, Rukia. Do it! Hurry before he comes back!"

"I can't, Ichigo."

"It really doesn't matter if the person who hurt you deserves to be forgiven. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. Even if you can't forgive yourself you have to. Otherwise, you can't move on. Don't live your life regretting things. It'll just be a waste of time. Listen, this may mean nothing to you but, I have no regrets in my life, even if I die today, I know that you will live. And I hope you will also have no regrets. I'm telling you the truth. I am contented. At least, I got to see you one last time."

With those words, she found her strength to push the sword further into his chest. The hollow's mask fell apart and so did its claws. Its entire body disintegrated liking crumbling rocks. The hollow has been vanquished. It was all over. It was gone. Rukia smiled. She felt that she was happy but she knew she was also sad. And for the first time since her execution, she cried as a sign of contentment. She wiped her remaining tears. She stood up and sheathed her sword. It was truly over.

"_Rukia-chan" _Sode no Shirayuki said.

"_Let us go back home  
__Yuki-chan is very proud.  
__Rukia-chan had done well_

_Do not wait for it  
__Soul Society or Hell  
__Let events unfold_

_As I have told you,  
__Do not fear what can't be seen  
__Listen to you heart_

_Tell me dear Rukia-chan,  
__Is it our hearts or our minds  
__That leads us to truth?_

_Our faith is the fact  
__Of what we hope for  
__Evidence of things not seen_

_We have faith in him  
__Let us go back home, Rukia-chan  
__Captain is waiting."_

Rukia stood up and left Karakura Town. She dared not look back. She dare not want to watch the scythe-caring man take him away. She neither dared nor want to see the skeletons. She was already contented with what she knew. She left Karakura that day for the first time without a heavy heart. She, in the end, fulfilled her promise to Ichigo. He was truly right. Forgiving was not about gaining someone or something. It was not about just repenting or saving her face. It wasn't even about removing a burden in her heart. Forgiving was something more.

Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime. Therefore, we are saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history. Therefore, we are saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone. Therefore, we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite a virtuous from the stand point of our loved one or foe as from our own. Therefore, we are saved by the final form of love. That is forgiveness.

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_a/n: Finally, it's over! Phew! Reviews please! Did you guys get the dialougue inside Ichigo? You know, how the hollow and Ichigo takes turns in speaking... Hope you did!!! _

_Love lots,  
__Moon-chan_

_P.S.  
__Epilogue? Maybe three days from now._


	6. The Epilgoue

_a/n: Yehey! I finally added the epilogue. It's kind of dragging. I wanted to make it slightly different from the prologue of my next fic. My next fic will be a sequel of this. I hope you will read it. Thank you so very much for the many reviews! I really pushed myself to write this._

_I decided to make it a slightly happy slightly sad fic. I didn't want a totally happy ending or a totally sad one. I believe in the saying in FMA: __The pleasure of a dream is it is just fantasy because if it ever happens then it was never a dream__. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it._

_Thank you again for the many reviews! Moon-chan appreciates it from the bottom of her heart. (Bows many times.)_

_Lots of love from the bottom of her heart,  
__Moon-chan_

_**Disclaimer: **__For the final time, I do not own Bleach! I just own the plot of story!_

_Without further ado, I give you the epilogue._

_**

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A Hollow Named Ichigo: **__**The Epilogue**_

If there was one thing Rukia Kuchiki hated most, it was paperwork; the ten foot tall stack of paper that never seemed to get shorter. She hated the repetitive signing at the bottom of every page. She hated the fact that all the pieces of paper had the same content. She hated doing the paperwork. Add to that the thought that her captain could not lend a hand. But, who could blame him? He was completely bedridden. He could barely even stand up. And he did not want to retire yet. "I just can't find the person that my vice-captain can get along with," he would often joke. He'd end up coughing badly afterwards.

"Kuchiki_-fuko-taicho_," One of the many members of the thirteenth squad said one day. He was probably bringing in some more paperwork. Seriously, was there anything Rukia did besides completing more paperwork?

And there was another thing the Kuchiki hated: _more paperwork_. It seems that day in and day out all she ever did was finish her paperwork by somehow it has never been finished. And if she could, she would punish anybody who brought paperwork in her office. Of course, she could go on enumerating why she hated doing paperwork, but she would know at the back of her mind what she truly hated. How long has it been since she last saw him? How long ago did he call out her name? How long ago was it because it felt like eternity for her? She smiled briefly while eyeing at a bowl of fruits on her desk; more precisely a bowl of strawberries.

_Oh, how much she hated waiting in vain._

She took a strawberry from the said bowl. She chewed it noting its taste; sour yet sweet. She still ignored the knocking of the officer at her door. She quietly laughed at herself for being so sentimental. She always had a bowl of strawberries on her desk. To be honest, she didn't quite like the taste, but it reminded her of something…more specifically someone.

She could continue with her mushy and corny crap thoughts, but the idiot knocking on the door was beginning to annoy her. She had to let him in if she wanted him to shut up. "Enter." She said that in her usual low and serious voice. What could this dim-wit want now? The shinigami entered and bowed at his lieutenant. Anyone could tell that the guy was really scared of his vice-captain.

"_A new shinigami recruit,_" He replied with a very shaky voice. Rukia raised an eyebrow implying that she could not understand what he was saying."_A new shinigami recruit from our squad picked a fight on a group of eleventh squad._ _When I asked him why he beat them up, he said that they were making fun of his hair. I did not know what else to do so—_"

"_So?_" the vice-captain cut his explanation. "Why did you have to come here? Couldn't he just have waited to beat the crap out of them after the shinigami academy graduate recognition ceremony? You do realize you disturbed me while I was doing something important."

"_I know that sir…I mean ma'am. I just—_"

"All right." Rukia sighed. She rubbed her temples vigorously. She put aside all her paperwork. At least, she could rest for awhile. "Fine, bring the boy in. He and I are going to have a superior-subordinate talk. I don't want my squad messing around with some eleventh squad punks, you know?"

The shinigami bowed and left. Rukia took out files of the newly transferred shinigamis. One of them must be the one who beat up the eleventh squad members. This guy must be pretty strong if he knocked them all out. She scanned the papers noting class records. Either the new one was a class bully or he was really good. She was again disturbed by another knock at the door. "Enter." She said, however she did not bother looking. "Sit down. Name please."

"_Ichigo Kurosaki, ma'am."_

The Kuchiki wasn't paying attention. She continued to scan through the papers. "Strawberry?" she offered absent-mindedly. Her search in the papers finally took her to the hiragana 'ku'. It had to be a joke. _Ichigo Kurosaki _was in her squad. Why didn't she see him? She looked intently at the résumé of the boy. She stared at it, forgetting the presence of the shinigami in her room.

"Ma'am, are you deliberately mocking me?"

The vice-captain put down the paper she was holding. She wasn't doing anything. She looked at the shinigami in front of her. She swore her jaw dropped. She could not believe what was happening. For one hundred and fifty years, she waited for him to arrive. And here he was standing there. "Ichigo?" her voice shook.

"Yes ma'am. I am Ichigo Kurosaki. You sent me here, right?" Rukia looked at him in the eye. She sought something in those amber orbs. However, she could not find it. This was Ichigo. She knew it was him, and no one else, yet it felt like it was another man. She stood in front of him trying to figure out was wrong with him. After twenty seconds or so, the answer finally hit her.

_He had forgotten everything; even Rukia._

But, she didn't care. At least, he was with her.

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End file.
